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The third China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) staged a British Creativity and Innovation Forum with the China-Britain Business Council on May 31, 2014, at which British inspiration and innovation were highlighted to an audience that at times had standing room only.
The event highlighted the mutual benefit of joint collaboration in the services markets and encouraged Chinese companies to access UK services, as Britain shifts its focus more towards Asia.
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Cheryl Low, Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council, gave a keynote speech at the British Creativity and Innovation Forum which was held during the 2014 edition of CIFTIS in Beijing. [Photos by Brian Salter/China Daily] |
The three hour session was divided into two parts, with the first section looking predominantly at the importance of inspiration, with presentations from seven leading British practitioners on their impressions of British creativity, the training in creativity they received in the UK and how it impacts their work.
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Russell Brown, Managing Partner of Lehman Brown, talks about international accounting trends during the British Creativity and Innovation Forum being staged at the 2014 edition of CIFTIS in Beijing. |
Matthew Scott and Jeremy Forsberg, CEOs of Strategy and Innovation at Navada Group; Quanfu Wang, Vice President of Jilin Yushuo Group; Xinglong Wang, Head of Analysis at Brandwatch; Steve Yu, Partner and Head of UK-China Trade Practice at Armstrong Teasdale; Sandy MacMillan, Founder & Creative Director of Brand Energies Ltd; and Leo Cui, CEO of TalkingData, all talked about the creative output of their companies and how China was now one of their major target markets.
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Wang Quanfu, President of Jilin Yushuo Group, talked about his company's animations during the British Creativity and Innovation Forum being staged at the 2014 edition of CIFTIS in Beijing. |
In the second section, 'Innovation’ was the theme with a number of British companies talking on how they used creative design and problem solving skills, which had been inspired by developments learnt in China, and how they implemented these across their global businesses. Innovations and efficiencies learnt in China are being taken around the world, was the message being put forward by many of the speakers, who included Hongguang Yang, Vice President of SkyOcean Holdings Co; Russell Brown, Managing Partner of Lehman Brown; William Ace Rowles, Director of The Dragon Trip; Holly Priestland, Business Development Manager at Surge Art; Johnson Tan, Founding partner of Prometheus Venture Consulting; Tongbo Liu, ABP London Chief Representative for China; and Phil Walder, Publisher of "Opportunity China".
As Cheryl Low, Chief Executive of the China-British Business Council told the assembled audience, "We feel that partnering with British designed brands, products and services can help drive consumption across China."
"A collaboration of British expertise with China's ambition can be very powerful indeed," Low continued.
"Creativity represents over 5 percent of the UK economy and is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy. Particular strengths are in advertising, architecture, design, fashion , films, video games, and so on," she explained, "and the greatest British innovators are constantly inspired by China, not just by the size of your market, but by your ambitions, your entrepreneurship, your energy and your ‘anything-is-possible attitude," she concluded.
